New York Times bestselling author and star of Destination America’s BBQ Pitmasters Myron Mixon goes back to the basics of backyard pit barbecuing with BBQ Rules, offering readers essential old-school barbecue techniques and 50 classic recipes.

In barbecue, “old-school” means cooking on a homemade coal-fired masonry pit, where the first step is burning wood to make your own coals, followed by shoveling those coals beneath the meat and smoking that meat until it acquires the distinct flavor only true pit-smoking can infuse. With easy-to-follow, straightforward instruction, America’s pitmaster shows you how and also demonstrates methods for cooking on traditional gas and charcoal grills common in most backyards. The book is divided into four parts—Meat Helpers, The Hog, Birds, The Cow—and features recipes and methods, including:

Pit Smoked Pulled Pork

North Carolina Yella Mustard-Based Barbecue Sauce

Prize-winning Brisket

Smoked Baby Back Ribs

Thick and Smoky T-Bone Steaks

Presenting step-by-step illustrations on building a pit, managing a fire, selecting meats for the pit and the best wood to burn in it, and more, Mixon offers all of the fundamental lessons to becoming a champion backyard pitmaster.